Superman. The Big Aristotle. The Diesel. Shaq Fu. The Big Shaqtus. Big Daddy. Shaqovic. Whatever you called him...he has called it quits. For me, it's a very sad day. Not because Shaq was one of my favorite players or anything like that. It's just that he was a big part of my 'youth'. As more of these guys retire - the older I get. It's sad. Farewell Shaq. I will miss you and your quotes. You were one of the good guys in the NBA.
Love him or hate him Shaq is probably one of the top 5 centers of all time in the NBA. Wilt. Bill Russell. Kareem. Hakeem. And Shaq. For his career, he averaged 23ppg and 11reb with 2.3 blks per game. He has 4 titles. He was rookie of the year in 1992/93. He was MVP in 99/00. He won 3 NBA Finals MVP's. 15 All-Star game selections. 2 scoring titles. 14 All-NBA selections. 3 All-Defensive NBA selections. He is 7'1 and weighs over 325 pounds. The man was a monster and one helluva basketball player.
But Johnny - Shaq was just so good because he was so big!! Are we supposed to hold that against him?? Are we supposed to say the only reason that Carl Lewis was so good is because he ran fast. And the only reason Michael Phelps wins all those gold medals is because he's a good swimmer?And the only reason Jennifer Aniston is drooled over is because she's hot?? We can't hold his physique against him!! Shaq was amazing.
And I hear Ricky Rubio is coming to the NBA! Well, it's about time. Has there ever been a more over-rated prospect that we've waited for?? Greg Oden maybe? The kid did shoot 39% and 22% in the Spanish league this season. Wow. Nice. But hey, he's only 20 or something like that so I'm sure he can lead a stocked Timberwolf team to the promised land. Count me in the non-believer camp. I'm not buying this kid.
And hey, the NBA finals are underway. They are definitely in the backseat for me as the Canucks are in the frickin' Stanley Cup finals and are ahead 1-0! Go Canucks. And Go Mavs! As I've mentioned here before, I don't want the superfriends to succeed. I want Dirk to get a ring.
And Jay Triano lost his job as coach of the Raptors. Surprising? Not really I guess. But what did he really have to work with as far as talent goes? I wonder who they'll bring in next? And will they trade Calderon? His name comes up in just about every trade rumour these days.
Another name that keeps popping up in trade rumours is Jonny Flynn. Really? Jonny Flynn? The guy who couldn't even earn playing time on the T-Wolves last season? What's the market for him? Come on man...
And the Pistons sale finally went through. Thank God. Now the coach can finally be fired and the rebuild can begin. Will Joe D survive the cuts though? I think he should be gone too. He should have moved Tayshaun and Rip last season and started the rebuild. I think his lack of vision for the squad costs him his GM job. Maybe Kevin Pritchard will land in Motown. He certainly deserves another GM job.
And Jerry West is joining the Warriors. I'd love to see them make some moves. They have such great fans. They remind me a lot of Vancouver fans in the mixture of cultures you see in the stands. And that's a loud building I'm told. The Warriors are a fun team to watch because of the fast pace they play. I wonder if they split up the small back court of Monta and Steph? I would think they could get a lot for a scorer like Monta. They need some size, some defense, and a coach that preaches defense. We'll see who they land on.
With the NBA collective agreement expiring in 28 days there is plenty of speculation that the new NBA will feature a hard cap and a lower salary cap. Wouldn't that be something to see half the NBA have to cut players or make major moves to abide by the new system? I love player movement. It makes the JBL more interesting. I just hope they get a deal done. Come on David Stern - work some magic.
Go Canucks!
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